Melcher-Dallas, IA
Melcher-Dallas wildfire risk explained
Melcher-Dallas sits at the 60th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 927 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Melcher-Dallas's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 61st percentile nationally.
Where Melcher-Dallas's buildings actually sit
Only 24.4% of Melcher-Dallas's 927 buildings carry Direct exposure and 0% carry Indirect; the remaining 75.6% are Minimal, which shifts the risk driving this page's score toward the surrounding landscape rather than any one structure.
How Melcher-Dallas compares
Melcher-Dallas's 83rd-percentile standing inside Iowa outpaces its 60th national percentile — this is a hotter spot than most of its own state, even though the state as a whole runs cooler nationally. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Melcher-Dallas ranks 12,667 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 12,498 by building count (1 is largest). Within Iowa alone, it ranks 172 of 1,017 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Iowa on its state page.
Melcher-Dallas and the insurance market
At the 60th national percentile, Melcher-Dallas rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Even with 75.6% of Melcher-Dallas outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones, basic hardening — gutter maintenance, ember-resistant vents — is inexpensive relative to the regional burn-probability risk noted above. Details in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 927 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Melcher-Dallas. For more on what minimal exposure implies beyond Melcher-Dallas, see the exposure-zones guide.